1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure pertains to a gusseted reclosable package with a high burst strength and a reclosable pour spout. More particularly, the high burst strength is achieved by a two or three-point connection of the zipper, typically a unisex zipper, to the package walls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A representative prior art package having a reclosable pour spout is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,794 issued on Dec. 6, 2005 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,442,156, issued on Oct. 28, 2008, both entitled “Package Having Reclosable Pour Spout and Method of Forming Same” and issued to Yeager. Such a package typically uses a unisex reclosure which is defined as a single tape that will mate or close to different sections of itself not requiring a male/female or otherwise differing zipper halves. The reclosure, comprising a single tape, is applied to the film by sealing both edges of the zipper to the film in the location where the gusset is formed. Therefore, upon opening the package or bag, a reclosable gusset is created which can act as a pour spout. The methods and apparatus typically used to apply the reclosure to the film are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,733 issued on Jul. 21, 1998 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,172 issued on Jan. 23, 2001, both entitled “Zippered Film and Bag”, and issued to Yeager. Other prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,810 entitled “Flexible Package with a Transverse Access Panel Device”, issued on May 9, 2006 to Steele; U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,225 entitled “Method of Making Bags and Bag Material Having Hinged Zipper Strips”, issued on May 29, 1990 to Ausnit; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,240 entitled “Extruded Zipper Strips for Bags” issued on Dec. 20, 1988 to Ausnit.
A typical zipper for this application is shown in FIG. 1. This zipper is a variable alignment, double-track zipper with a flange on both sides (i.e., upper and lower flanges). Because the zipper is symmetrical, the internal opening force is typically equal to the external opening force. While this is certainly acceptable for some applications, there are other applications in which it would be preferable to allow the customer to open the package with a relatively lower opening force while providing a reclosable package and zipper which can resist relatively greater internal force required for heavier loads. In other words, easy opening on the consumer side along with high burst strength on the product side may be desired.
Similarly, in gusseted applications, due to the mass of the zipper, it is difficult to fold the zipper fully on itself and stay closed, in the area of the gusset fold.